Helmut hartmann



H. HARTMANN,

CAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.23| 1 9-- Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

g. 5 V ATTORNEY union. 1

HELMUT HARTMANN, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY.

can.

Application filed In.

To all "whom it may concern Be it known that I, HELMUT Hears ANN, a citizen of Germany, and a resident of lVest New York, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cans, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to combined cans and heaters, that is to say to closed receptacles, containing food products, that are provided with heating means.

The main object of the invention is to provide a can of the type mentioned which is simple in construction, eflicient in operation, and which can be manufactured on a conr mercial scale or, in other words, one which is not so diiiicult to make as to be beyond the reasonable cost of such an article.

A. further object of the invention is to produ ce a can of the character mentioned, to the heating compartment of which access can be had conveniently, the elements being so arranged that the fuel is safely held within the same.

lVith these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. Two of the many possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a combined can and heater,'constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a modification of the invention.

Referring now first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a can, adapted for packing food stuffs, such as vegetables, meats, etc.. and preferably made of tin. This can comprises a cylindrical body 11, provided with heads 12, one of the latter constituting the bottom and the other the top of the can. Betweenthe two heads is disposed a partition 13, suitably attached Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 23, 19 19- :ch as. 1919. Serial No. 285,882.

to the body 11 and dividing the can into a larger food containing compartment 1% and a smaller compartment 15, the latter containing the heating means 17, in the form of solidified alcohol, or other liquid fuel that has been solidified in any suitable manner.

Below the partition 13 is provided in the cylindrical wall of the heater compartment a plurality of openings 18, said openings being closed by a strip 19 of easily puncturable material, such as for instance paper, the said strip being held in place by the solidified fuel. The strip 19 must be impervious to liquids, to prevent the fuel from leaving the heating compartment in case it liquefies due to heat or other causes.

The operation of this device is as follows :VVhen the can is to be prepared for shipping purposes, etc., the heating compartment is charged with a suitable quantity of fuel, after the strip 19 has been put in place. In order to heat the contents of the can, the

strip 19 is punctured in alinement with the openings 18 and a match applied to the fuel. The flame first destroys the strip 19, adjacent the openings 18, and, as then suflicient air is admitted into the heating compartment, the flame rises and is not confined to the heating compartment only, but spreads through the openings 18 outside the compartment and surrounds the cylindrical wall of the food containing compartment.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings differs from the one above described in that the heating compartment 15 is detachable from the food containing compartment. Also the cover of the food containing compartment may be removed. This construction may be used as a dinner pail or bucket, as both the food containing compartment and the heater compartment may be recharged, at will. In the construction illustrated, the top 12 of the can is pro vided with screw threads 20, meshing with those on the cylindrical wall of the food containing compartment. In a similar manner is the cylindrical wall of the heater compartinent provided with screw threads 21, meshing with threads adjacent the bottom of the food containing compartment. Obviously, other means may be used for making both the cover 12 and the heater compart ment detachable.

The heater compartment is charged in looth devices herein described with fuel to a level that is disposed below the levelof the openings 18. When thus the strip 19 is punctured and the fuel lighted, the latter will not leave the heater through the said openings.

What I claim is A combined food container and heater, comprising a food receiving compartment, a heater compartment provided With openings, a solidlfied liquid fuel Within said 10 heater compartment rising to a level below that of said openings, and a strip of material impervious to liquids disposed within said heater compartment and closing said openings, said strip being held in place by said fuel.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 27th day of March, A. D. 1919.

HELMUT HARTMANN, 

